


Sweet Valley Can Into Space!

by MrToddWilkins



Series: My AH.com timelines [2]
Category: Sweet Valley High - Francine Pascal, Sweet Valley University - Francine Pascal
Genre: Alternate History, don’t expect frequent updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:14:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27110083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrToddWilkins/pseuds/MrToddWilkins
Relationships: Cara Walker/Steven Wakefield
Series: My AH.com timelines [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978813





	1. Foreword

Lately,I've been getting a lot of ideas for TLs set in the world of _Sweet Valley High,_ a popular girls' series than ran from 1983 to 1999 (here's the wikipedia link:  
[Sweet Valley High - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Valley_High))  
. I'm already doing a Babysitter's Club TL set in the worlds of Tolkien and ASOIAF,two of my favorite works of fiction.  
  
But I'm also a space geek. And I've decided to explore the premise of linking space and Sweet Valley. I know,right? But somebody already did an SVH/Lord of the Rings crossover,so I probably can't do that for a while. The POD concerns STS-27,a dedicated DoD space shuttle mission that flew in December 1988. The mission suffered problems with its tiles,which could've led to a Columbia disaster with the space shuttle Atlantis. Here,the USAF has a Space Shuttle program. It's open,and the data is shared with everybody. Also,STS-27's tile problems are so severe that a rescue mission is required by the USAF Space Shuttle. After this mission,and a space salvage of Atlantis,NASA vastly improves the Shuttle fleet and plans an earlier Vision for Space Exploration.  
  
This TL is not meant to be taken seriously,but it isn't low effort either. So...............enjoy.


	2. Prologue

_November 15,1988, 7:30 pm EST  
The Pentagon_

Three people sat around a conference table,watching a TV clip. The clip was 7 hours old,but they could've been viewing it for the first time. It showed a runway somewhere in the Kazakh SSR. The camera,evidently mounted on a TV tower,zoomed in and after a few seconds picked up the image of a spacecraft flying towards the runway. The spacecraft grew bigger. It looked like.....it flew like......no it couldn't be........

Admiral M.Elwin Graceford stared at the TV,watching as the spacecraft came in for a landing.

"Is that a Space Shuttle?"

"Yes, sir" replied Mark Loe, a CIA analyst, as he paused the video tape. "It launched at midnight today our time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome,where this runway is. It was launched on an _Energia_ rocket, which launched the USSR's failed _Polyus_ space platform last May and the _Phobos_ Mars probes earlier this summer. The Energia separated at 4 1/2 minutes mission elapsed time and 3 minutes later this orbiter assumed an orbit of 120 by 142 nm at an inclination of 65 degrees to the equator.

Two hours later,TASS issued a press release identifying this orbiter as _Buran_. They say that it's the first in a planned fleet of 7 orbiters, to be commissioned between now and 1999. These orbiters will fly manned space missions,including missions to _Mir._ They even offered the option of Buran missions to our Space Station _Freedom._ There will be two further unmanned test flights and then the first manned mission in late 1991 or so. All according to TASS,of course.

A few hours after that,at the conclusion of the fifth orbit,Buran was deorbited by remote command over Cape Town. 48 minutes later,Buran landed at Baikonur." With that,Loe resumed the video tape. Buran glided in and landed,its rear wheels emitting puffs of dust. A trifolded drag chute deployed and Buran rolled down the Baikonur runway,the camera following it as it did so. Then the tape ended.

"Darn", observed Naval Space Command operative Tom Lowenstein. "Remember '82,El?"

"I sure do", replied Graceford. "That BOR-5 had us fooled. The whole Aussie navy had us fooled. We thought of a fluke,a lucky guess in Soviet space engineering. Turns out we were wrong. But we've got the USAF _Awesome Eagle_ fleet of orbiters. With any luck,Moscow will know to keep its Shuttle to civilian applications".

"Actually,sir,you may be right", Loe said. "It doesn't seem,from what we know,that Buran was designed with military applications in mind. The orbits given for possible manned missions are all wrong military wise,the payload bay strengths given out yesterday by _Le Journal_ just aren't right for military payloads,and the Energia's performance numbers suggest low orbit missions only."

"You could be right,Mark".

"Let's hope so".


	3. STS-27:launch day

_December 2,1988, 9:28 am EST/ 6:28 am PST  
Space Shuttle Atlantis/Cape Canaveral/Sweet Valley  
_  
" _Atlantis,_ this is Launch Control. Close and lock your visors,have a great flight."  
  
Steven Wakefield closed his visor and listened to the countdown. After 4 years (being selected as an astronaut straight out of high school doesn't happen to everybody) he was ready for his first launch. He clasped Mike Mullane's hand,waiting for the launch signals.  
  
" _Atlantis,_ this is Launch Control at T minus 31 seconds. SRB HPU start is Go. You are on your onboard computers. Good luck,out."  
  
\----------  
  
"Jessica! Aren't you going to watch _your own brother's_ first mission?"  
  
"Steven's a cool guy,but I've got that big English test. Besides,Cara's at the Cape and she can call me with all the juicy deets."  
  
\----------  
  
Cara Walker's binoculars came into focus at the exact same moment Atlantis's three main engines ignited. A cloud of steam built up west of Pad 39-A. Moments later,Atlantis lifted off,quickly clearing the launch tower.  
  


_9:32 am EST, Space Shuttle Atlantis  
_  
"Atlantis,Houston. Performance nominal".

"Copy. Performance nominal."

Between the second and fifth minutes of flight, Atlantis climbed 55 nautical miles,heading away from the Cape on a northeast trajectory. On the middeck,Steve Wakefield felt the force of 2 1/2 g's pressing him into his seat. Higher and higher Atlantis flew,now over the North Carolinian coast and Virginia Beach.

"Atlantis,Houston. One minute to MECO. All systems Go,no OMS-1 required."  
"Copy that",Hoot Gibson replied.

\-----------

After Atlantis got into orbit,Steve was to tend to the operation of the payload bay doors. He had waited some time for this,being selected in 1985. The Challenger disaster in '86 had put paid to his hopes for an early flight assignment,so he went back to his hometown and lectured various organizations in Southern California on the need for cheap space exploration. Now,he was in space for the first time. It was time to get to work.

\--------

_3:05 pm EST  
_  
"Go for deploy".

The Lacrosse 4B satellite was functioning well after its launch. The solar wings were unfolded,and all systems looked good. Silently,the Lacrosse and its PAM upper stage drifted into the void. Twenty-four minutes later,the PAM ignited. The primary objective of the mission was complete. Now some secondary experiments would be completed.


End file.
